CH 11 Meeting The Thief

“Let’s go, and find them,” she agreed without hesitation. “They didn’t just take my weapons. My toolkit was there too. Without it, rebuilding my armor and equipment will take much longer. If we want to survive in this place, we need everything we can get.”

“Then let’s move.”

The two of them began heading deeper into the forest, following the direction the herd had come from earlier. After a few minutes they encountered another Striped Gazelle. This one was lying on the ground, barely breathing. Its body was covered with deep wounds, and it clearly did not have the strength to stand up.

Freya glanced at Ren.

“You should take this one. Your level is lower than mine.”

Ren nodded. He raised his hand and fired a Water Bullet. The spell struck the gazelle’s head and ended its suffering instantly.

A notification appeared.

[Level 7 Striped Gazelle killed]
[769 days lifespan gained.]
[1433 EXP gained.]

Ren noticed something interesting. He had received the full amount of experience. If another awakener had injured the monster earlier, the experience would have been shared. In that case he would have received only a small portion. But that was not what happened. That meant the creature that injured these gazelles was not an awakener. It was a monster.

Ren and Freya continued forward. As they moved deeper into the forest, they came across several more gazelles. Some were barely alive, while others had already died from their wounds. Each of them had similar sword-like injuries.

Ren finished off the surviving ones while Freya kept watch. The pattern was becoming clearer. Something had attacked the entire herd.

Ren’s mind worked quickly as they walked.

Either the creature is extremely strong… Or it has some kind of advantage that prevents the gazelles from fighting back.

He glanced upward at the trees again.

An airborne monster? Or something that lives in the trees and attacks from above?

If the creature could climb easily, that would also explain how the thief disappeared earlier after stealing Freya’s equipment, and why the Striped Gazelles couldn’t fight back.

After about half an hour of careful movement, they decided to stop for a short break.

“I will meditate. I need to convert my EXP,” he said.

“I’ll keep watch in that case,” she replied.

She stepped a few meters away and began scanning the forest carefully. They both knew that if they eventually encountered the creature responsible for attacking the gazelles, they needed to be at their best.

Ren closed his eyes slightly and focused inward.

Status, he said in his mind.

[Name: Ren Buttowski (Level 6)]
[Class: Mage]
[Elements: Wind, Water, Earth, Fire]
[Spells: Wind Surge, Mana Zone, Wind Bullet, Water Bullet, Earth Bullet, Fire Bullet]
[Talent: Heir of Demonic Magic]
[Strength: 9 / Agility: 11 / Constitution: 11 / Mana: 0 (sealed)]
[Free Stats: 2]
[EXP: 6896]

Ren studied the numbers with mild amusement.

I have almost sixty-nine hundred EXP. That would convert into sixty-eight stat points.

It was a ridiculous amount for someone summoned yesterday. Most newly summoned awakeners would struggle for days just to gather a fraction of that. If he wanted to, he could immediately spend all that experience and go on a massive leveling spree.

He started meditating. Only two minutes had passed when a sudden movement broke the stillness.

Freya reacted instantly.

She drew her saw-sword and turned toward the sound above them. Ren opened his eyes halfway through the meditation and shifted his focus upward just as a black blur dropped from the branches overhead.

Metal clashed. A heavy sword collided with Freya’s weapon, sending a sharp ringing sound through the forest. Freya’s knees bent under the sudden impact. For a moment it looked as though she might be forced down to the ground, but she managed to hold her position.

The creature standing before them looked like a massive black chimpanzee. It was nearly two meters tall, with thick arms that bulged with muscle. Dark, coarse fur covered most of its body except for the face and parts of its chest where patches of tough grey skin were visible. Its shoulders were broad and powerful, and its hands were large enough to wrap completely around the hilt of the long sword it wielded. Despite its bulky frame, the monster moved with frightening speed.

Freya shifted her stance quickly. Instead of pushing against the sword directly, she changed the angle of her weapon and adjusted her balance. The sudden change caused the monster to lean forward slightly.

Freya stepped in immediately and drove an uppercut into its jaw.

The blow was solid, but the monster barely reacted. Its head moved only slightly as if the impact had little effect. In the next instant the creature grabbed Freya’s arm with its free hand. Its grip was crushingly strong, and it was already preparing to throw her aside.

A Water Bullet struck the side of its head. The impact snapped its head to the side, but the monster did not release Freya. Instead, its eyes immediately locked onto Ren. At the same time another Water Bullet formed around its head, wrapping tightly like a sphere of liquid. The monster reacted quickly. It let go of Freya’s arm and swatted the spell with its hand. The water did not disperse. Instead, it remained wrapped around its head like a dense shell. Rather than panicking, the creature instantly dashed toward Ren. It had already identified him as the source of the attacks.

Ren had anticipated this reaction. He fired the charged Water Bullet he had prepared earlier, but the monster twisted its body mid-step and dodged the attack with agility that didn’t match its size. The projectile slammed into a tree behind it.

The creature closed the distance quickly and swung its sword toward Ren’s neck. Its speed was terrifying. It was only slightly slower than Freya.

Ren had already activated Wind Wrap Spell. The moment the sword came down he threw himself backward, using the enhanced movement to escape the strike.

The monster grinned as it saw Ren’s posture broke while retreating. From its perspective, Ren had placed himself in a terrible position. He could not recover fast enough to dodge the next attack.

The creature raised its sword again. Before it could strike, two arms wrapped tightly around its waist.

Freya had dropped her weapon and lunged forward.

“Ahhh!” she roared as she lifted the monster and slammed it backward into the ground with a powerful German suplex.

The impact shook the earth slightly.

The creature’s body was incredibly tough, and the throw itself did little damage. However, the sudden collision forced the air out of its lungs. At that moment the monster instinctively tried to inhale. The water sphere around its head forced liquid into its mouth and nose. It began choking.

Ren and Freya both understood that a creature with such high constitution would not die from suffocation that easily. Still, the sudden lack of air disrupted its concentration.

Freya took advantage immediately.

She rolled over the monster’s body, locking one of its arms while pressing her weight down onto its shoulder. Her other hand struck its wrist repeatedly, trying to force the creature to drop the sword.

The monster’s grip was incredibly strong. The blade did not move.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Freya changed her tactic without hesitation. Her fingers shot toward the monster’s eyes. However, the dense Water Bullet surrounding its head slowed the movement slightly. That tiny delay gave the monster time to react. Its free hand clenched into a fist and slammed into Freya’s side. The force of the blow sent her flying several meters away like a rag doll.

Just as the monster tried to rise, a Fire Bullet slammed into its chest, forcing it back down.

The creature roared in pain as the burning projectile struck its thick fur. The intense heat scorched the hair and seared the skin beneath it. For a brief moment the monster felt as if the inside of its body had begun to boil.

Another Fire Bullet formed nearby. The monster rolled to the side, dodging, and sprang to its feet. Its eyes scanned the forest rapidly, searching for Ren.

In the fraction of time it took to locate him, Freya had already returned. She crouched low near the monster’s feet, hidden within its blind spot. Her leg muscles tightened. In the next instant she exploded upward, driving a punch directly toward the creature’s throat. Her movements were swift and decisive, as if the blow to her ribs earlier had not affected her at all.

The monster reacted by swinging its sword toward her side. Neither of them backed down.

Then the creature realized a problem. Freya was too close. The sword did not have enough space to deliver a full strike.

The monster twisted its wrist and redirected the blade, turning the hilt toward Freya’s ribs. At that exact moment a Water Bullet struck its wrist. The impact forced the sword arm backward before the hilt could hit Freya.

Freya’s punch landed cleanly on the monster’s throat.

The creature roared again, coughing violently. As it struggled to breathe, more water entered its airway. The combination of suffocation and accumulated injuries was beginning to take effect. Dark spots flickered in the monster’s vision. Before it could recover, a charged Water Bullet slammed into its leg. The force of the attack made it stumble.

Freya moved instantly. She climbed onto the monster’s shoulders with a movement as smooth as a snake coiling around its prey. Her legs snapped tightly around its neck.

With a roar of effort she twisted her body, trying to break the creature’s neck.